Lesson Plan on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-teacher, Madrich Teachers and Expert Teacher: Part Four

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. This is one of many lessons we will be sharing on teaching Judaic content, lesson planning, models of teaching, differentiated and individualized instruction and learning activities designed to transform the classroom into a Jewish community of cooperative learners. The title of this lesson is “The Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-Teacher, Madrich Teacher and the Expert Teacher”. Since there are 13 elements in each lesson plan we will divide this lesson plan into four parts. This is the fourth part of a four part lesson. Click on the hypertext for part one, part two and part three of this lesson.


Developmental Activity: (Set of procedures or steps to reach the objective/learning outcome)

1. Place all the ones from each home team into a new group called expert team number one. Please all the twos from each home team into one group called expert team number two. Place all the threes and fours into their separate expert teams.

2. Each expert team then reads and discusses the information sheets that they had received, and decides how to teach that information to the members of their home team. This would include a method to check for understanding such as an oral quiz.

3. At a signal given by the teacher, members of each expert team return to their home team to teach what they had learned. Thus, home team member number one is expected to do the following: (1) define the term co-teacher; (2) explain what a co-teacher does and (3) check to make certain that each member of his team can accomplish the above two learning outcomes. Accordingly, home team member number two does the same thing with regard to the role of the madrich teacher. Home team member number three explains the role of the mentor teacher, and home team member number four teaches her teammates about the role of the expert teacher.

Note: During the teaching phase of Expert Jigsaw students are expected to take notes on the information presented by each team member.

Independent Activities: (Students practice new skill/s or strengthen previously learned skills outside of the class.)

Each student completes this chart that appears at the top of this post.


Closure: (Activity that summarizes and ends the lesson)

1. The teacher distributes or displays the above chart and says, “ let’s do the question in the hat activity to summarize and end today’s lesson.”

2. Each student in class is given a unique number or card (e.g. the number one in the class roster or role book, or a specific card from a deck of cards can be used) and these numbers or cards are placed in a hat.

3. The teacher then invites a student to select a number or card from the hat.

4. The teacher then poses a question to the class (e.g. What is a co-teacher? What does a co-teacher do? ) and the student whose name is associated with the number or card selected from the hat must answer the question.

5. If that student answers the question correctly, she selects the number or card of the next student to answer the teacher’s question. If her answer is incorrect, the teacher or a student picks the next card or number from the hat.

On the next post we will begin sharing lesson plans on enduring Jewish knowledge.

Lesson Plan on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-teacher, Madrich Teachers and Expert Teacher: Part Three

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. This is one of many lessons we will be sharing on teaching Judaic content, lesson planning, models of teaching, differentiated and individualized instruction and learning activities designed to transform the classroom into a Jewish community of cooperative learners. The title of this lesson is “The Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-Teacher, Madrich Teacher and the Expert Teacher”. Since there are 13 elements in each lesson plan we will divide this lesson plan into four parts. This is the third part of a four part lesson. Click on the hypertext for part one and part two of this lesson.


Instructions for Quad Member Number Three

1. You will be required to teach your home teammates the definition and the responsibilities of the mentor teacher.

2. Below is the information that you will be teaching your home teammates. It contains questions and answers. Your job is not to read the questions and answers to your home teammates. Your job is to take notes, put this information into your own language, and teach it to the members of your home team.

3. What is a mentor teacher? A mentor teacher is a seasoned teacher with at least five years of excellent teaching performance evaluations. He or she is responsible for training the student teacher and the co-teacher to perform the teaching responsibilities of a Judaics classroom teacher.

4. What does a mentor teacher train the student and co-teacher to do?

• Plan lessons
• Determine content and curriculum (i.e. what should be taught)
• Create a positive classroom environment
• Develop multiple ways of delivering instruction
• Use multiple ways of measuring what students have learned
• Manage student behavior
• Take attendance and keep accurate records
• Collaborate with other members of the instructional staff including teaching assistants (madrichim), co-teachers, teachers, and administrators
• Communicate with and engaging parents, guardians, and members of the Jewish community to participate in classroom and school activities

5. Are there other areas of expertise that the mentor teacher should possess?

The mentor teacher should have additional areas of expertise in the supervision of student and co-teachers?

6. What are these additional areas of expertise that a mentor teacher should possess?

Mentor teachers should have expertise in these three supervisory areas:

1. Conferencing skills: knowledge on how to give feedback to and receive feedback from student and co-teachers
2. Observational skills: knowledge of what to look for in the classroom (i.e. Are students engaged in learning? How is the teacher managing student behavior? Did the teacher’s lesson plan meet its objective?)
3. Reflection skills: knowledge of methods to help student and co-teachers to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate a lesson


Instructions for Quad Member Number Four

1. You will be required to teach your home team mates the definition and the responsibilities of the expert teacher.

2. Below is the information that you will be teaching your home teammates. It contains questions and answers. Your job is not to read the questions and answers to your home teammates. Your job is to take notes, put this information into your own language, and teach it to the members of your home team.

3. What is an expert teacher? An expert teacher is the professional at a supplemental or day school who trains the madrich teacher and mentor teacher to discharge their responsibilities.

4. What else does an expert teacher do? The expert teacher also coordinates the committee of madrich and mentor teachers in the school. This committee matches madrich and mentor teachers with their mentees, and offers seminars in classroom management, instruction, assessment (i.e. measuring student learning), etc. The expert teacher should have extensive experience as a teacher, administrator, and/or staff developer with expertise in Judaics, and the theory, research, and best practices in instruction, curriculum development, supervision, and staff development for Jewish educators.

On the next post we will share the fourth part of a four part lesson on the roles and responsibilities of the co-teacher, madrich and expert teacher.

Lesson Plan on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-teacher, Madrich Teachers and Expert Teacher: Part Two

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. This is one of many lessons we will be sharing on teaching Judaic content, lesson planning, models of teaching, differentiated and individualized instruction and learning activities designed to transform the classroom into a Jewish community of cooperative learners. The title of this lesson is “The Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-Teacher, Madrich Teacher and the Expert Teacher”. Since there are 13 elements in each lesson plan we will divide this lesson plan into four parts. Here is the first part of this lesson. This is the second part of a four part lesson.

Introductory Activity: (Initial exercise to focus on the objective/learning outcome)

1. Place students into quads, cooperative groups of four. These quads are termed the home teams.

2. Assign each student in each home team a number from one to four. Accordingly, point to the students in each home team and assign each member a different number and say; “You are one, you are number two, you are number three and you are number four.” Repeat this process for all the home teams in your class; then do a check for understanding and say. ”I want all the ones in each home team to raise their hands. Now all the two’s, please raise your hands, etc.” When you are certain that each student knows her number, proceed to step three.

3. Distribute this information on cards as described below (and on the next post) to the number ones, twos, threes and fours in each home team.

Note: If your class cannot divide into teams of four members, create one team of three members, a triad. Assign one member of that triad to also read and teach the information that is assigned to quad member number four.

Instructions for Quad Member Number One

1. You will be required to teach your home teammates the definition and the responsibilities of the co-teacher.

2. Below is the information that you will be teaching your home team mates. It contains questions and answers. Your job is not to read those questions and answers to your home teammates. Your job is to take notes, put this information into your own language, and teach it to the members of your home team.

· What is a co-teacher? The co-teacher is a pre-service teaching candidate (i.e. a 12^th grader, undergraduate Hillel participant or Jewish Studies major) who studies the art and science of teaching.

· What does the co-teacher do? The co-teacher plans and teaches lessons with the mentor teacher, and reflects upon those lessons prior, during, and after a lesson is taught. Accordingly, the co-teacher and the mentor teacher may be engaged in team teaching where they alternate instructing the whole class, or they may divide the class into small learning groups which each one directs. Ultimately, the goal of co-teaching is for the co-teacher to assume many of the responsibilities of the classroom teacher.

· How do the mentor teacher and the co-teacher reflect during a lesson? Here is how that takes place. At any point during a lesson, the teacher or the co-teacher can visually signal the other for a time-out. Students then are given some engaging work to do related to the lesson while the teacher and the co-teacher briefly discuss an issue of concern. What might be an issue of concern? The co-teacher might be sharing erroneous information, or the mentor teacher may not be teaching what they had discussed prior to the lesson. Thus the mentor teacher or the co-teacher may call for a time-out.

· Here is one more point to share with your class. Students should be informed that periodically these time-outs will occur to insure that the academic needs of students, and the objectives of the teacher and co-teacher are all met.

Instructions for Quad Member Number Two

1. You will be required to teach your home teammates the definition and the responsibilities of the madrich teacher.

2. Below is the information that you will be teaching your home teammates. It contains questions and answers. Your job is not to read the questions and answers to your home teammates. Your job is to take notes, put this information into your own language, and teach it to the members of your home team.

3. What is a madrich teacher? A madrich teacher is responsible for training the madrich or madricha to perform certain administrative, interactive, and creative responsibilities, and thus to assist him or her in the classroom. The madrich teacher should have at least three years of excellent teaching performance evaluations.

What does the madrich teacher train the madrich or madricha to do?

Administrative Responsibilities (Howard, 2006)

· Setting up the classroom

· Taking attendance

· Collecting tzedakah

· Distributing supplies, books, and other materials

· Preparing snacks

· Correcting students' work

· Managing progress charts

· Preparing materials for upcoming activities

· Reorganizing the classroom at the end of the day

· Temporarily taking charge of the class if the teacher is indisposed

· Teaching a five minute mini-lesson to a small group or the entire class

· Participating in and leading portions of a prayer service

Interactive Responsibilities (Howard, 2006)

· Greeting students as they enter the classroom

· Helping students with art projects

· Assisting students with class work

· Leading students in small-group activities

· Leading transitions between activities

· Reading stories to the class

· Tutoring students who need extra help

· Mentoring students who have difficulty focusing during class

Creative Responsibilities (Howard, 2006)

· Creating bulletin boards

· Making samples for upcoming art projects

· Developing costumes, scenery, or puppets for class performances

· Reading stories to the class

· Editing student-centered newspapers

· Providing musical accompaniment to prayer service

On the next post we will share the third part of a four part lesson on the roles and responsibilities of the co-teacher, madrich and expert teacher.

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Lesson Plan on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-teacher, Madrich Teachers and Expert Teacher: Part One

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. This is one of many lessons we will be sharing on teaching Judaic content, lesson planning, models of teaching, differentiated and individualized instruction and learning activities designed to transform the classroom into a Jewish community of cooperative learners. The title of this lesson is “The Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-Teacher, Madrich Teacher and the Expert Teacher”. Since there are 13 elements in each lesson plan ) we will divide this lesson plan into four parts. This is the first part of a four part lesson.

Title of Lesson: The Roles and Responsibilities of the Co-teacher, Madrich Teacher, Mentor Teacher, and Expert Teacher

Enduring Jewish Knowledge Rationale for the Lesson: A teacher is one who engages students in the study of Torah. From our perspective, a co-teacher is a pre-service teaching candidate (i.e. a 12^th grader, undergraduate Hillel participant, or Jewish Studies major) who learns the art and science of teaching through co-planning, co-instructing, and co-reflecting with the mentor teacher. Accordingly, the co-teacher and the mentor teacher may be engaged in team teaching where they alternate instructing the whole class, or they may divide the class into small learning groups which each one directs. Ultimately, the goal of co-teaching is for the co-teacher to assume many of the responsibilities of the classroom teacher. For additional justification for this lesson refer to the enduring Jewish knowledge rationale for lesson number one at this url:http://richarddsolomonsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/lesson-plan-on-what-is-teacher-what-is_16.html

A madrich teacher is responsible for training the madrich or madricha to perform the administrative, interactive, and creative responsibilities of the teaching assistant. He or she should have at least three years of excellent teaching performance evaluations.

The mentor teacher trains the student teacher and the co-teacher to become a classroom teacher in a supplemental or day school. He or she should have at least five years of excellent teaching performance evaluations.

The expert teacher is a professional in a supplemental or day school who trains teachers to become madrich and mentor teachers. He or she should have extensive experience (i.e. more than five years) as a seasoned and highly competent teacher, administrator, and/or staff developer with expertise in Judaics, and the theory, research, and best practices in instruction, curriculum development, supervision, and staff development

Essential Question/s: What is a co-teacher, a madrich teacher, a mentor teacher, and an expert teacher? What are their different responsibilities?

Assessment/s: (Initial, ongoing, and final activities designed to measure what the student has learned)

Students individually and in cooperative groups discuss the answer to these essential questions: What is a co-teacher, a madrich teacher, a mentor teacher, and an expert teacher? What are their different responsibilities?

Objective/Learning Outcome: (What the student is supposed to learn from this lesson) The student will be able to define in his or her own words the answers to these questions: What is a co-teacher, a madrich teacher, a mentor teacher, and an expert teacher? What are their different responsibilities?

Name of the Active Learning Procedure: Expert Jigsaw

Anticipatory Set: (Motivation activity that prepares students for the learning outcome)

Suggested Motivational Statement:

“For today’s lesson we are going to do something even more challenging than the Simple Jigsaw that we had introduced in the previous lesson. Today we are going to apply a more complex cooperative procedure called Expert Jigsaw to define and differentiate the roles and responsibilities of the co-teacher, the madrich teacher, the mentor teacher, and the expert teacher. Are you ready for this challenge?”

On the next post we will share the second part of a four part lesson on the roles and responsibilities of the co-teacher, madrich and expert teacher.